Bhakkar - Six girl students and a driver died on Saturday when their rickshaw collided with a passenger bus in Jaisay Wala area of Bhakkar.

The collision was so intense that five of the students and the driver died on the spot. Another student succumbed to her injuries when she was being shifted to a nearby hospital.

Police said the bus has hit the rickshaw killing six schoolgirls and the auto driver. Senior officer Shahista Nadeem said one girl was also critically injured in the accident.

The official said the ninth-grade girls were returning home from their first-year high school exams when the bus sped into their rickshaw. She added that angry protesters partly burned the bus, before police could arrive.

The protesters also blocked Jhang Road and chanted slogans against the incident and the transport mafia.

Punjab chief minister expresses grief

The ill-fated auto was completely destroyed as a result of the accident and it had to be cut to pull the bodies out of the wreckage. A number of local people also helped in the rescue operation. The police said the driver of the bus managed to escape from the scene. The police cordoned off the area and started investigation. Fatal road accidents are common in the country because of lax safety standards and disregard for traffic laws. In a statement, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar expressed grief and sorrow over the death of girl students and a rickshaw driver in an accident on Jhang Road near Bhakkar.

He conveyed his heartfelt condolences to families of the deceased. The chief minister directed that the best medical facilities should be provided to the injured students and action be taken against those who were responsible for the accident. He sought a report from the administration about the accident.